Chicken Enchiladas

Some days you're just really in the mood for a margarita, a mariachi band, some white sandy beaches, blue water and the sounds of Spanish drifting across the breeze.  Since my budget doesn't allow a quick trip to Mexico right now, I'll have to settle for the margarita, some chicken enchiladas and the Spanish music channel while sitting on my leather couch. It's a poor substitute, but the food is delicious!  So with no further ado, I'll let you join me on my trip to Mexico... Margaritas away!

3 Tbsps vegetable oil

1 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast
salt and pepper
2 tsps cumin
2 tsps garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 c. frozen corn
1  can black beans
1 small can green chilies  (Ortega is good)
1 can stewed tomatoes  (I used homemade tomato sauce, 1 cup)
4 chipotle peppers (you can add more or less, depending on how hot you like it)
1/2 tsp flour
1 c. Mexican or Jack cheese
Garnish:
 cilantro, scallions, sour cream, black olives, sour cream, etc

Coat large saute pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, allow 7 minutes each side or until no longer pink. Sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder before turning. Remove chicken and allow to cool.
Saute onion and garlic in chicken drippings until tender. Add corn and chilies. Stir well to combine. Add canned tomatoes and black beans, saute 1 minute.  If you want a smoother sauce (and since I hate onions, I pureed mine in my food processor). 
Pull chicken apart by hand into shredded strips. Add shredded chicken to saute pan, combine with vegetables/sauce. Dust the mixture with flour to help set.

Microwave tortillas on high for 30 seconds. This softens them and makes them more pliable. Coat the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch pan with a ladle of enchilada sauce. Using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon chicken mixture in each tortilla. Fold over filling, place enchiladas in the pan with the seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree F oven until cheese melts.


Here is a link to a margarita recipe.  I didn't make this yet, but it should be good, http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/strawberry-margarita-recipe/index.html

Gouda Apple Chicken Sausage with Garlic Alfredo Pipette

So I don't often use a lot of pre-made stuff but I stumbled across Chicken Apple Gouda Sausages by Johnsonville and I bought a pack with a coupon.  Let me tell you, I'm hooked, they taste great and aren't that bad for you (relatively in the sausage world)!  I also don't eat a lot of pasta, simply because I'm not a fan of tomato sauce and alfredo sauce isn't that great for you.  But I had just gotten home from a workout; I was sweaty, cold, hungry and craving something warm and filling.  Rooting through my cabinets I found some pasta and some Garlic Alfredo sauce and decided that I really, really wanted pasta.  I cooked about 2 cups of pasta, splitting it in half for dinner and lunch.  Let me tell you, this is something I'll be making again soon!  Delicious!

Pipette pasta or something else that holds sauce well
Johnsonville Chicken Apple Gouda Sausage, sliced thin on a diagonal
Garlic Alfredo sauce
Parmesan Cheese

Bring a  large pan of water with salt in it to a boil.  Add pasta, I used about 2 cups of Pipette.  Cook this for 8 to 9 minutes or until al dente.  In a separate skillet, saute the Chicken Sausage until it's light brown on both sides.  Drain the pasta and add back to the hot pan, setting it back on the hot burner, but make sure the burner is off.  The residual heat from the pan and burner will finish drying the pasta and heat the cold sauce.  Add a quarter cup of the Garlic Alfredo sauce and the sauce back to the pot.  Serve piping hot and garnish with a pit of Parmesan Cheese. Enjoy!

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

I was bored one night and decided that I wanted to bring blueberry muffins into work the next morning.  Not really knowing if I had all the ingredients I decided to make do with what I had in the refrigerator.  This was the recipe that I used, but I didn't have vanilla honey Greek yogurt, so I substituted it with buttermilk and vanilla.  They were fluffy, delicious and absolutely wonderful!  The lemon flavor really made the blueberries pop!  Give these a try if you're in the mood for soft, tasty and moist lemon blueberry muffins
Lemon Blueberry Muffins
1/3 cup of milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 container of vanilla honey Greek yogurt   (I used 1 cup of milk and 1 Tbsp of lemon juice, combine, let sit for a few minutes and it turns into buttermilk.  I also added a teaspoon of vanilla for extra taste)
1 egg  
1 3/4 cup of all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp grated lemon peel
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Glaze
1 cup powered sugar
1 to 3 Tbsp of lemon juice

Heat oven to 400ºF. Grease bottoms only of 12 regular-size muffins cups.  I promise they won't stick, just spray the bottoms well!  (don't spray the sides or the muffins won't climb up the sides and they'll be short and dense). 
In large bowl, beat milk, oil, yogurt (or buttermilk) and egg using wire whisk or fork. Stir in remaining ingredients except blueberries, until flour is moistened. Coat blueberries with a smart amount of flour so they don't sink straight to the bottom.  Gently stir in blueberries. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.  Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan.
Mix the glaze together, making it as thick or thin (using the lemon juice) as you desire.  Drizzle the glaze over the muffins and then sprinkle with powdered sugar. 
Enjoy! 

This recipe is from the Betty Crocker Website with some modifications...  Betty Crocker Lemon Blueberry muffins

Peach and Blueberry Oatmeal Bake

Oatmeal is probably one of my favorite breakfast foods.  I especially love it when it's cold outside and wind is whipping past my window and I'm warm and cozy inside.  This scenario happens every morning in the winter while I'm at work; after my cold dash from my car to work, I just want something warm and filling.  This Peach and Blueberry Oatmeal Bake caught my eye in my Healthy Cooking magazine and I decided to give it a shot.  I added some brown sugar and wheat germ to this recipe, which just adds some more nutrition and texture. 

Peach and Blueberry Oatmeal Bake
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
2 egg whites
1 whole egg
1 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 can sliced peaches, drained and chopped
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/3 cup walnuts (I used almonds)
1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, mix the oats, wheat germ, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Whisk the egg whites, egg, milk, canola oil, and vanilla.  Then add to the dry ingredients and stir until blended.  Let it sit for 5 minutes so the liquid can start to absorb.  After the five minutes has elapsed, add the chopped peaches and the blueberries. 
Pour into a 9x13 inch pan that is well greased or a 11x7 inch pan.  Sprinkle with the walnuts. Bake, uncovered for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees until the top is lightly browned.  Serve with additional milk if you prefer!  Delicious and filling

Accoring to Healthy Cooking magazine nutritional facts: 277 calories without additional milk, 11g fat, 1g saturated fat, 24mg cholestoral, 263mg sodium, 38g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 8g protein.
1/2 tsp salt

Granola Fruit Bars

The warm smell of the almonds and oatmeal roasting in my oven this morning made the whole house smell warm and cosy as I sipped my coffee on the couch.  Once the granola bars were in the oven, the brown sugar and cinnamon combined for a truly homey feeling.  After some cooling time, the crunch of the oatmeal and almonds combined with the coconut, apples, craisins and sunflower kernels made for a perfect breakfast meal. 
I make breakfast for the week on Sundays because I work four mornings a week at 6:00am and I believe that breakfast is the most crucial part of the day.   I've made Brown Sugar Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal (I'll include the recipe later) and Peach Blueberry Oatmeal Bake, but this week I was craving something crunchy for breakfast.  I decided that Granola Fruit Bars would be ideal.  This recipe was modified from Healthy Cooking magazine, but with the addition of some salt and extra vanilla, the taste and crunch are great! 

Granola Fruit Bars
3 1/2 cups of quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup of wheat germ (optional)
1 cup chopped almonds (I used sliced almonds)
1 slightly beaten egg
2/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup salted sunflower kernels
1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut
1/2 cup chopped dried apples
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Combine the almonds, wheat germ, and oats on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 5 minutes intervals for 15 minutes, making sure to stir them so they don't burn.  They'll start to smell amazing about 10 minutes into the cooking process and the almonds with start to turn brown, just make sure that they don't burn.
In a separate bowl, combine the beaten egg, melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, honey and vanilla in a bowl.  Let this sit while you combine the dried fruits in another bowl. 
Once the oats, wheat germ and almonds are done, gently dump them into the liquid mixture and add the dried fruit.  Stir with a spatula until every piece is coated with the liquid mixture. 
Re-coat the cookie sheet that you roasted the almonds and oatmeal on with cooking spray.  Pour the granola mixture onto the cookie sheet and even it out.  Then bake it in the oven for 13-15 minutes or until the edges turn light brown.  Let cool on a wire rack and then slice into bars and store in an airtight container.

These are super tasty and I really enjoyed one with my coffee this morning.  Granola bars like this make me look forward to working tomorrow morning. 

According the Healthy Cooking magazine one bar is: 130 calories, 7g fat, 13g saturated fat, 15mg cholesterol, 40mg of sodium, 16g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 2g protein

Shrimp Scampi and Bacon Ranch Mashed Potatoes

We have a family tradition on New Year's Eve night.  Before my brother and I head out for the night, we have a shrimp dinner.  Normally it's boiled shrimp, mashed potatoes and a vegetable.  This year was no exception and I felt that the leftovers needed some excitement. So tonight I decided to make dinner with the leftovers and I made Shrimp Scampi with Bacon Ranch Mashed Potatoes. 
 I forgot to take pictures of these two recipes, but when I make them again sometime I'll add the photos, sorry!

Here is the recipe though:
 
Shrimp Scampi
4 Tablespoons of butter, use real butter
1 pound of boiled, de-tailed shrimp
4 cloves of minced garlic

In a skillet, melt the butter and add the minced garlic.  Don't let it burn.  When you start to smell the garlic, add the shrimp to the skillet.  Stir and saute for about three minutes total.  Since the shrimp are already cooked, they just need to get hot and covered in butter.  Serve over rice or with the Bacon Ranch Mashed Potatoes.

Bacon Ranch Mashed Potatoes

10 large Russet Potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 pound of Bacon, cooked until crunchy
2 Tablespoon of Ranch Dry Dressing Mix
4 Tablespoons of butter
1/2 to 3/4 cup of milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes.  Add the potatoes to water with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Boil the potatoes until a fork can be inserted in them easily.
While the potatoes are boiling, stretch the bacon out on a grill pan and place in the oven for 30 minutes at 400 degrees until crispy. Drain and let cool.

 Drain the potatoes and add them back to the pan.  Add the butter and milk to the potatoes and mix with either an electric mixer or hand mash (depending on how lumpy you want them.  I like mine smooth, so I use a mixer).  Add as much milk as needed, you will be able to tell by how easily the potatoes mix.  Not enough milk and they won't come together. 

Once the potatoes are ready, add the dry Ranch Dressing mix (you could also use Ranch dressing, just use less milk) and crumble the bacon into the potatoes.  Put the mixture into an oven proof pan, add Cheddar Cheese to the top and bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is bubbly.  Serve hot and enjoy!

Chocolate Commotion Bars

When my friends and I get together there is never a dull moment!  My group of friends in Ohio have a patio party twice a year, once in the summer (where we actually party on the patio) and once around Christmas where we party inside.  This past Christmas we held our first annual Christmas Patio Party Dinner and my contribution was Chocolate Commotion Bars.  I felt these were appropriate since it's always loud, drinks flow freely and are often invented on the spot (hello grasshopper's , lawnmower's,  whoo whoo's and chocolate wow's).
I had made these for a friend's going away party the week before and decided that I needed to change some things.  I personally thought there was too much peanut butter, so I changed the amount and the result was perfect!  Super sweet, gooey and mouth watering, they were a huge hit!  I will warn you, the cooking is super quick, but it needs to cool in between or else you end up with a mess.  Follow the instructions and it ends up as beautiful as the picture. 

Chocolate Commotion Bars

Cooking spray
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
3/4 cup butter, divided
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream, divided
1 1/2 cups marshmallow cream
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cups salted peanuts, finely chopped
1 (14 oz.) package caramels, unwrapped or the new caramel bits
1/4 cup butterscotch chips


Heat oven to 350°F. Coat 13x9-inch baking pan lightly with no-stick cooking spray.
Melt 2 cups chocolate chips and 1/2 cup butter in medium saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Stir in flour. Spread in prepared pan. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until set. Cool.
Melt 1/4 cup butter in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in sugar and 1/4 cup cream. Boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in marshmallow cream. Spread evenly over baked layer. Cool.
Cook caramels and 1/4 cup cream in small saucepan over low heat, stirring until caramels are melted. Spread over marshmallow layer. Cool until set.
Combine 1 cup chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, chopped peanuts and 3/4 cup peanut butter in small saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Spread over caramel layer. Chill 30 minutes or until set.

These are hard to cut, but oh so good! 
Refrigerate any leftovers or they slide and don't look as pretty.

Original Recipe:   http://www.eaglebrand.com/recipes/details/?RecipeId=4461&categoryIndex=9